MOSCOW, January 29 /TASS/. Russia has banned four US nationals from entering Russia in retaliation for the US expansion of the so-called Magnitsky List, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

In a statement on December 30, Lukashevich went on to say, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Russia would respond adequately if Washington expanded its sanctions list under the anti-Russian Magnitsky Act.

"We have really banned a number of US citizens from entering the Russian territory on a mirror-like basis," the Russian diplomat stressed.

"As far as the personalities are concerned... all of them are linked to gross violations of human rights and international law," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained.

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Russia has imposed visa bans on four employees of the US Justice Department for their complicity to abduction of Russian national Roman Seleznyov from the Maldives in July 2014. They include Charles Seth Wilkinson, Ethan Ray Arenson, Kathryn Warma and Norman Barbosa.

The Russian side hopes that the United States which has been too carried away by a sanctions game realizes that this policy has no prospects.

"We are confirming once again that tough reaction will follow any attacks on Russia," Lukashevich added.